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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 4 Hansard (28 March) . . Page.. 1046 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

as is the Capital Airport Group which includes the father on the board and now CTEC with the son as chairman.

There is no conflict of interest, CTEC's legal advice argues, because the company which technically owns Brindabella Business Park is Canberra International Airport Pty Ltd whereas JG Service Pty Ltd, through the father, is linked to Capital Airport Group. In its instructions to the law firm which gave the legal advice, CTEC has stated that Capital Airport Group has no involvement in the Brindabella Business Park development. Mind you, both companies are wholly owned by Capital Property Corporation Pty Ltd, share the same phone numbers and managing director and work out of the same office. The Commonwealth receipt for the purchase of the airport has been made out to the Capital Airport Group, not Canberra International Airport. This is consistent with the airport newsletter, The Hub, which claims Capital Airport Group owns the airport and that the airport developed Brindabella Business Park. According to the Canberra Airport web site, Capital Airport Group, not Canberra International Airport, is managing the park.

Obviously the legal advice is claiming there is no link between the Brindabella Business Park and the Capital Airport Group. That is not the fact when you look at all these different documents. From memory, according to the documents that were lodged with the Clerk earlier this month, which I did inspect, it was the Capital Airport Group, not CIA, which negotiated with CTEC at the end of January about Brindabella Park accommodation.

When the new chief executive officer, Mr Stainlay, started at CTEC in February, he asked for an operational needs analysis. An expanded needs matrix was undertaken which widened the brief to include client interaction and public transport. It was the Capital Airport Group, not Canberra International Airport, which wrote back to CTEC inadequately addressing my concerns regarding public transport. Indeed, even in answer to a question on notice at the draft budget hearing of Mr Quinlan's committee regarding the bus service, it is the Capital Airport Group which is referred to. My question on notice was: "What are the details of the proposed bus service from the airport to the city and the percentage of CTEC staff using this service?" The critical point in the answer is that Mr Smyth said that the Capital Airport Group is currently negotiating with two prospective bus companies to operate between the airport and Civic. This is the response to a direct question from me about CTEC. At the end of the response I was informed that this bus also can be used for other people going to the airport.

It certainly does appear that the Capital Airport Group is very much involved with the operation and development of the Brindabella Business Park. At the end of the process the Canberra Tourism and Events Corporation subcommittee recommended that the CTEC chairman meet with the Capital Airport Group, not the very distinct and so-called independent Canberra International Airport, to finalise terms.

Clearly, the success of the airport and its managing body, the Capital Airport Group, is very closely linked to the business park. Clearly, the Capital Airport Group is intimately involved in the management of the business park. While CTEC can advise its lawyers that the Capital Airport Group has no involvement with the Brindabella Business Park development, clearly that statement in the understanding of ordinary people is questionable.

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